RADIO
Tuesday brings a five game schedule in the National Hockey League and Monkey Knife Fight has contests for each one that you MKFers can enjoy.
The first puck drops in Philadelphia where the Flyers are reeling and hoping that a visit from the New Jersey Devils can cure what ails them.
The Florida Panthers take on Chicago in the Windy City and the Detroit Red Wings are headed to Nashville to battle the Predators.
Featured Promo: For this week only, take 50% off any full-season or yearly Premium Pass on the site! Just enter discount code THANKS when checking out. Thanks for being a reader, and Happy Holidays! Sign Up Now!In the later games, two of the best teams in the league are in action (separately) as the Tampa Bay Lightning are in Dallas to take on the Stars and the Colorado Avalanche are in Arizona, looking for a second straight win over the Coyotes.
Here are some Star Shootout angles to keep in mind when playing Tuesday’s NHL action on Monkey Knife Fight.
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STAR SHOOTOUT - ALL DAY
MORE OR LESS
Nathan MacKinnon LESS THAN 6.5 FANTASY POINTS
Colorado’s dynamic center has 10 points (4 G, 6 A) during a six-game point streak but has just 18 shots on goal and no blocks in that time so any effort to reach at least seven fantasy points would either require a multi-point game or at least five shots on goal plus an assist to get over the threshold. Both of those are entirely possible, especially given the dominance of the Avalanche in the past few weeks, but in 26 games this season, MacKinnon has eight multi-point games and nine games with at least five shots on goal. Three of those games overlap (meaning he had multiple points and at least five shots on goal) but it is still a big ask, even for a player as great as MacKinnon.
Andrei Vasilevskiy MORE THAN 24.5 SAVES
In 13 road games this season, the Lightning netminder is averaging 27.0 saves per 60 minutes, and Tampa Bay is in Dallas to take on a Stars team that is averaging 28.8 shots per 60 minutes on home ice. The Stars, however, are depleted by injuries with Alexander Radulov, Roope Hintz, Joel Kiviranta and, possibly, Radek Faksa out of the lineup. Can the depleted Stars still generate enough shots for Vasilevskiy to pick up at least 25 saves?
Victor Hedman MORE THAN 0.5 ASSISTS
Tampa Bay’s towering blueliner is the leading contender for the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman and has accrued 14 assists in 16 road games this season, picking up at least one helper in 12 of those 16 games. Even though the Stars have a better-than-average defensive record, Hedman should be good for at least one in this game.
Devon Toews LESS THAN 5.5 FANTASY POINTS
In 11 road games for the Avalanche this season, Toews has managed 4.7 fantasy points per game, not nearly as productive as he is on home ice. The Arizona Coyotes are the opposition and while they have been below average defensively on home ice, it is not bey enough to expect Toews to produce six fantasy points, something that he has achieved just four times in those 11 road games.
Filip Forsberg MORE THAN 5.5 FANTASY POINTS
In 14 home games this season, Forsberg has averaged 6.8 fantasy points per game. He is an incredibly skilled winger who can take over a game and he goes up against a Detroit Red Wings team that is among the worst in the league defensively, ranking 29th in goals allowed per 60 on the road this season.
RAPID FIRE
Jakob Chychrun +0.5 fantasy points vs. Nazem Kadri
Kadri is a valuable contributor to the Avalanche but not a huge scorer so, as a result, he is averaging nearly 4.7 fantasy points per game on the road this season. Chychrun, the Coyotes defenseman, is averaging more than 5.1 fantasy points per game on home ice. His blocked shots make a difference and make him a viable underdog in this matchup.
Steven Stamkos +0.5 points vs. Mikko Rantanen
Stamkos, like most players, is more productive on home ice but does have 13 points in 14 road games going into Dallas, where the Stars are better than the average defensive team. Rantanen has 17 points in 13 games and is on a six-game point streak as the Avalanche head into Arizona, where the Coyotes are not as strong defensively as the Stars are in Dallas. Even with that difference, it’s awfully hard to either bank on Stamkos getting shut out or Rantanen pulling multiple points to take this one.
